Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

I bought a AT&T gophone along with the prepaid sim card from Bestbuy. I have my own unlocked cellphone (Samsung i9000) brought from other foreign coutry. I would like to use the AT&T prepaid sim card on my own unlocked cellphone (i9000), however, the sim card cannot be recognized. I am sure both the phone and sim card have no problem, the SIM is activated and the band support of my cellphone is OK for AT&T network. The i9000 can find two networks: T-Mobile MCC 310 MNC 260 and AT&T MCC 310 MNC 410. By force I join the AT&T network and it said SIM card not permitted by the network.

I still have another unlocked phone Moto L7. This phone can recognize the SIM card as Cingular and I can dail *777# and it returns the right information for balance. However, after a few minutes, the cellphone said the SIM card fail to register.

I am quite sure and afraid that AT&T must have some techniques to lock up my sim card so that I can not use it on my own phone. Hi guys have you met the same problem and how to solve it? Thanks!

Re: Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

Thank you so much..

I have already decided to give up AT&T service and turn into T-Mobile trial.. I've already purchased T-mobile SIM card.. However, I called 800-311-0050 for Customer Care this afternoon and requested them to update IMEI code of my unlocked cellphone to the SIM card, and it works!!!

Re: Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

I have the same experience. Bought a cheap AT&T Go phone during christmas for $5. Very cheap, When I activated it at the first time, I tried to use another unlocked phone to activate, but mess up at the end, can't use on any phone.Called AT&T and asked me to replace another phone from Best Buy.

Eventually activated the sim card witht he Gophone I bought, then tried to put the sim card on another unlocked phone, it said sim card crashed/ or simcard failure, I didn't know that Gophone I bought is Samsung A107, it has a middle button that everytime you press, it goes to the internet and used the data that eat your money.

Next day, I went to AT&T to complain, that I wanted to disable the data, but they said it's the system set can't be changed. Then I complain about I have many contacts stored on another phone, but the sim card doesn't allow me to use on another phone. First they said they can help me to transfer the contact to the Gophone sim card, but they can't do it for me. It made me angry because they said my another phone is not from AT&T and they won't provide support. My partner said I lost my temper at the moment, at the end AT&T helped me to give a new sim card that can used on my own phone, and that sim card is unlocked.

I am happy I won the battle, but if I have chance, I won't use AT&T again.

Re: Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

Go get a new sim card from an AT&T corp store. Or demand that they unlock it and it's not fair they did that since its not in the T&C. You also need to go on and say if they lie to you ex " we can't unlock it" that you will contact the FCC and bbb. That's what I said and they unlocked mine. Good luck.

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

Do you know if the 6 months wait is still supposed to be in effect? I bought a prepaid phone in July and I was able to use that SIM card in another phone immediately.

You know, I'm not completely sure. I haven't gotten a new SIM card in 3.5 years, so I couldn't say for sure. I just know that in the past SIM cards were locked to the original phone of activation for up to six months.

Re: Are GoPhone SIM Card locked?!

Wild Banchi wrote:

You know, I'm not completely sure. I haven't gotten a new SIM card in 3.5 years, so I couldn't say for sure. I just know that in the past SIM cards were locked to the original phone of activation for up to six months.

Yes, I remember that. But this hasn't always been that way, back in the day (maybe 6-7 years ago) the SIM & phone weren't joined at the hip. I bought several prepaid phones between 2005-2007 and there was never any issue with using the card in another phone.

Then the practice you mention came about, but I haven't bought any other prepaid phones between then and July of this year, so from my viewpoint I've completely missed that. Would like to know though for a future reference whether what I experienced now was just a lucky (for me) fluke on the part of the system or whether that practice has been discontinued

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.